Spicy Cashew Chicken

I have a problem. It is an expensive, tolling addiction that I am working through.

My problem is PF Chang's.

We rarely did PF Chang's back in California because the closest one was 45 minutes away, and I don't know many kids who count Chinese food as one of their all-time favorites. We were more of a hot dog family. But ever since we moved to Greenville, where we have one conveniently located on Woodruff Road, I've become a Chinese-eating-machine. Every birthday, double-date or anniversary, I beg Tim to take me there. "It's just rice and chicken," he claims. But it is so much more than that.

The other thing about PF Chang's is that it's kinda' pricey. We're not stingy, but we always tend to walk out of there with a $40 check between the two of us. That's 35 1/2 trips to Taco Bell. That's a new pair of jeans. That's almost half my grocery budget for the week. All that being said, I'm trying to make a few Chinese favorites at home. I found this recipe on Pinterest, and it's originally by MommaChelle. I made a few very slight revisions, but if you want to see the original recipe, click here. I can't even talk about how good this is. It'll make me cry. This is, like, special-occasion-at-home good. It's so good that I'm kicking myself for not saving this for Valentine's Day.

I can't talk about this anymore. My mouth is watering, and all I have for lunch is a turkey sandwich. But seriously, please try this recipe. It's one of the best things I've ever cooked. For real.


Chicken Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 tbsp. cooking white wine 
• 2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup oil
• 1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes (you can add more or less depending on how spicy you want it)
• 3 green onions, sliced diagonally
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 cup cashews, salted or unsalted
• 2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Sauce Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 4 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp white vinegar

Rice ingredients:

• 1 cup rice
• 2 cups water

Directions:

First and foremost, the rice. Every package has different directions, but I'll give you mine.

Boil 2 cups of water. Add 1 cup of rice.

Turn heat to low so that it is simmering. Cover with a lid and leave for 30-40 minutes. Try your hardest not to lift the lid and peak.

Cut chicken into cubes and place in a bowl.

Add the soy sauce and the white wine.

We're going to let that marinate while we get the other ingredients set up.

Whisk together sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Drain the chicken.

Heat oil over high heat in a wok or a large pan.

Now it's time to determine just how spicy you want this dish to be. I used 1 tsp, but this is the determiner for the entire dish.

Add to the oil and mix well.

Add the drained chicken to the pan/wok and let cook until browned on both sides.

Green onions. I find them awkward and hard to handle for some reason. Regardless, they're needed. And tasty.

You can use as much or as little as you're comfortable with. I chopped up 3.

Add garlic to the chicken and continue to cook on a medium heat.

Add the cashews. Believe it or not, they will soften.

Add the sauce we prepared earlier. It will thicken up quite nicely, just make sure to stir, stir, stir!

Toast your sesame seeds. You can do this by putting them in a pan and turning the heat on medium/high for about 3 minutes. Gently stir every 30 seconds or so.

Add the green onions and sesame seeds to your chicken.

And don't forget about your rice!

Serve hot. I also purchased frozen spring rolls, which were seriously tasty.


Love and a Chinese addiction,

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Grilled Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

When days are long and time is short, I find myself making grilled cheese for dinner with a can of tomato soup.

We are so very classy at our place.

Let's back up. Tim's all-time favorite breakfast is scrambled eggs with fried breakfast potatoes. It's like another part-time job distracting him from asking for that in the morning. I am not a morning person. I do not want to move, talk, or put on work clothes. And I especially do not want to cook a long, drawn-out meal.

So distracting Tim from his beloved eggs and potatoes is a task in and of itself. The only way to avert him is to have breakfast waiting for him so he doesn't even have the opportunity to even ask about it. Some say I'm a great wife for having it prepared and at his bedside each morning when his alarm sounds. No, this is not the truth. I am doing it for my own benefit.

Grilled cheese is a relatively easy meal, and it's one that doesn't require constant supervision. Throw it on the stove, go brush your teeth. Come back and check on it, then pack your lunch. It's pretty low maintenance.

So the idea that we can take a simple classic like grilled cheese and turn it into a breakfast sandwich appealed to me. And it appealed to Tim. Which is why I made it.

And it was good.


Ingredients (makes 2 sandwiches):

• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 4 slices of bacon, cooked
• 4 slices of cheese (preferably American)
• 4 slices of bread (preferably sourdough)
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

First, we're going to whisk one egg in a bowl, then pour it into a small, sprayed pan. Turn it on medium/high heat and let it cook all the way through. No stirring required. We want it to almost be like an omelette. Sprinkle some salt on there.

Next, we're going to crack the other two eggs in a bowl. Add the milk and whisk together.

The egg should only take a few minutes to cook. Go ahead and slide it off the pan and onto a plate to use later. Using the same pan, melt the butter. 

Add the olive oil to the butter mixture. Keep heat at medium/high.

Dip the bread into the egg mixture on both sides.

Place one piece of bread in the butter/oil mixture.

Place the cheese on the bread.

Cutting 2 bacon pieces in half, place on top of the cheese.

Place your cooked egg on top of the bacon. If it's too large, you can fold it in half.

Dip your second piece of bread in the egg/milk mixture and place on top of the sandwich.

Cook on each side until browned. I like mind a lil' crispy.

Cut in half and serve hot.

I hope you enjoy this. And please don't stare at all the paint on my hands. It's being stubborn and won't come off.

Love and grilled cheese,

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